WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. -- Drew Brees is injured. But fear not, the injury is considered minor and is to his non-throwing arm.

Brees did not take part in Saturday’s scrimmage at The Greenbrier due to a strained left oblique suffered during Friday’s practice. Coach Sean Payton said that he was held out as a precaution.

“We didn’t want to put him out the day after,” Payton said. “It’s going to require just a little bit of rest. We’ll see how it is coming back Monday.”

Brees, who was wearing a red non-contact jersey and a pair of shorts, watched the scrimmage from the sidelines. In his absence, Ryan Griffin, Luke McCown, and Ryan Kilgore received an increased amount of snaps.

McCown and Griffin are fighting for the top backup spot. After the session ended, many of Griffin’s teammates praised his ability to lead the huddle.

“It’s unusual for us to not be in the huddle with Drew, and yet it felt no different,” offensive lineman Zach Strief said. “The calls were the same. ... We didn’t run into any bad looks, he got us into the right plays, the huddle was nice and clear, the calls were good, the cadences were consistent. There was a lot of consistency. It realy felt like we didn’t miss a beat.”

Cornerback Champ Bailey was also missing from the scrimmage and was not spotted on the sidelines. Payton downplayed the injury and said he does not believe it is anything serious.

Video emerged Friday of Bailey having his ankle rolled up on during Thursday’s practice. When asked to confirm if the injury was to Bailey’s ankle, Payton refused to comment.